An Old Friend
by Smenzer
Summary: A mysterious stranger watches as Maggog invade the Starship Andromeda in the Season Finale. My first Andromeda fic. Sorry if any names are spelled wrong
1. Default Chapter

Title: An Old Friend

Author: Smenzer

Rating: PG

Pairing: None

Archive: Yes, please. Let me know if you take it, OK?

Teaser: A mysterious stranger watches from afar while Maggog in the Season Finale invades the Andromeda.

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. They belong to whoever owns the Rights to the show Andromeda. The other characters belong to Studios USA. This is just for fun.

The dark haired man relaxed in his favorite chair and watched the screen before him with interest. He had watched Captain Dylan and his new crew for quite awhile now. Of course, they didn't know about him and that's the way he liked it. He tossed popcorn into his mouth and crunched on the salty snack food. An image on the screen changed and the popcorn was forgotten. He leaned forward in his chair and watched as the invading Maggog overpowered the crew of the Andromeda.

The man frowned.

"Oh Dylan, have you forgotten everything I taught you?" the man asked the screen. He watched as the Maggog dragged off the bloody figures of Tyr and Harper. Rommie was pinned to the nearby wall and the Rev dashed after his two crewmates. Up on the bridge, Dylan, Beka and Trance were unconscious. "Or did your ideals change? You and your crew are going to die because of your stupidity. I really don't care about your new crew, not yet, anyway. But I can't let you be used by the Maggog for their reproduction. Trust me, you wouldn't like that."

The man stood slowly and stretched his muscles. His black leather fit snugly over his well-muscled body. A ring glistened on one of his fingers, the ruby in its center as red as fresh blood. He waved his hand slightly and the image zoomed in on Dylan's face. "You can't escape your past, Old friend. Sooner or later your crew will find out your secret. Changing your name doesn't work. I know who you are. And soon so will they. It can't end now. You must do what you were born to do,as I'm going to do what I born to do. Will you be happy to see me?"

A grin spread across the man's face and he threw back his head and laughed. "Watch out, Maggog! Death is coming for you! And Dylan, soon you and I are going to rumble! You have lessons to relearn. As does the rest of your mismatched crew."

"Hmmm...I suppose I should rescue Tyr and Harper first, before they are dragged off your crippled ship." Barehanded, the man winked out in a flash of bluish-white light.

****

Does anyone want to read more?


	2. The Battle Rages

An old friend 2

Pain. It was the first thing Tyr noticed as he drifted up to consciousness. His bite wounds burned in various locations across his body. The smooth floor scraped under his back and he realized he was being dragged. He opened his eyes and saw the overhead lights shining down on him. It reassured him a bit, as it meant he was still on the Andromeda. But for how long? The Maggog were no doubt taking them to their ship. He didn't want to think what would happen after that. He was proud though that he had taken out many Maggog. Not many warriors could make such a claim.

He turned his head slightly and saw Harper next to him. The cocky little engineer was being dragged alongside him and left a wet trail of blood in his wake. From his appearance, he appeared to be unconscious. But he chest rose and fell, which signaled he still lived.

Tyr thought of the promise he had made to Harper, that he would kill him before the Maggog got him. Well, there is nothing I can do now. he thought. I can't even save myself. My gun is empty, my forcelance is who knows where and I am physically exhausted. And Maggog surround us. Even Nietszcheans have their limits. It would take a miracle to save us and I doubt if that will happen. Believing in miracles is more the Rev's type of thing, anyway.

The Maggog that was dragging him stopped and Tyr worried they had reached the aliens' ship. He knew once they were carried off the Andromeda that was the end. There would be nothing after that except a slow painful death. The floor underneath him trembled and the sound of an explosion carried to his ears.

So, he thought, someone is still alive. There's a chance still.

Maggog hurried past him to fight with whoever it was. A few moments later the same Maggogs sailed through the air above him, their fur on fire. They struck the corridor wall so hard they went right through it. The air was filled with Maggog screams.

Tyr lifted his head off the floor. He wanted to see who was causing such chaos among the Maggog. He blinked in surprise when he saw it was a human male he had never seen before. Where had this man come from? Was there another ship? As far as Tyr could tell, the man was alone. He watched in astonishment as the man gripped a Maggog and easily lifted it above his head. He acted as if the alien weighed nothing at all. Nor did its slashing claws seem to do him any damage. Could he be an android like Rommie? The man tossed the squirming Maggog at a bunch of its fellow invaders and they all flew backward to crash into the metal wall.

The human male was tall, around six feet with a well muscled body. He had dark, shoulder length wavy hair. A well-trimmed beard and mustache surrounded his mouth. He was dressed in a black leather sleeveless vest that was studded with silver bits of metal. The vest was partly open at his wide chest and revealed dark chest hair. A wide leather belt with an intricate design circled his waist. A slimmer belt that matched the other held a scabbard with a sword inside it. Black leather pants and boots completed his outfit. He also had wide silver gauntlets studded with red rubies around both wrists. A matching red ruby sparkled on one of his fingers while another finger was covered in an odd silver thimble. A silver earring in the shape of a sword dangled from one ear and he wore a symbol on a leather cord around his neck. Fire seemed to burn in his dark eyes as he watched the Maggog.

Legs spread wide apart for balance; the man stretched his arms out to either side. Electricity started to flow between his two hands. It formed a round ball above his head. He lifted his hands upward and the white ball of electricity grew in size. He gripped it with his bare hands and tossed it at a thick clump of charging Maggogs. The stink of burnt fur drifted to Tyr's nose as the Maggogs sizzled.

What are you? Tyr thought.

"Run maggots! Run for your lives!" The man laughed as the Maggog started to retreat down the corridor. He raised his hand to his mouth and blew on it. Next his shook the hand, pulled it back and made a throwing motion. A fireball exploded from his hand and chased the Maggog down the hallway. Tyr closed his eyes as the ball of flame zipped by overhead and the incredible heat of the magical fire washed over him. The fireball expanded the farther it traveled down the hall until it mushroomed into a fiery blast. The rolling wall of fire backtracked down the hallway and then vanished.

Silence.

Smoke hung in the air and the metal walls were burned black. In a few spots they were even melted. Tyr coughed. The smoke and the stink of charred flesh was too much in his present condition. Next to him, Harper stirred and opened his eyes. He stared up in confusion at the stranger in black leather. A lone figure emerged from the thick smoke that hung in the ruined corridor. It was the Rev in his red robes. He stopped next to Tyr and Harper. "Thank the Divine you are safe!"

"This doesn't have anything to do with your Divine." the stranger in black leather stated.

"Who are you?" Tyr asked.

"I'm Ares, God of War!" the man replied. "And I just saved your butts."


	3. Ares Speaks

An Old Friend 3

"Where did you come from? How did you get on our ship?" Asked Tyr suspiciously. "The only other ships in the area are Moggog."

"Tyr, what does it matter where he came from or who he is? The important thing is that he saved us!" Harper rolled over and crawled over to Ares. "Oh, thank you! Thank you thank you thank you!"

"I'm a real God. I don't need ships like you mortals do." Ares explained matter of factly. He glanced down at Harper who was still sniveling at his boots. Ares rolled his eyes. Cowards. He preferred brave warriors. "And as to how I got here, I teleported from Olympus. Not that you know what Olympus is. These days you people have forgotten so many things."

"If you are a real God like you say, why would you care about us?" Tyr asked as he slowly climbed to his feet. He examined one of his wounds and frowned. They needed to be cleaned, but he doubted if he would be able to do that any time soon. No doubt more Maggog were still on the ship. "You are not my God. Why would you help me?"

"Tyr! The Divine cares about all of us. We are all His children." Rev Bem told his friend. The Maggog crewmember frowned. He remembered what the leader of the invading Maggog had said to him. He had stated that every creature *except* the Maggog were created by the Divine. He had insisted that the Maggog were created by something else, something Un-Divine. This went against everything Rev Bem had been taught. It troubled him deeply, even though he faith was strong. But perhaps it was not as strong as he had thought. He wanted to forget what the other Maggog had told him, but it was burned into his mind. It would not let him go.

"And I told you I'm not your Divine." Ares repeated.

"But you are hear because the Divine wanted you to be here, at this time in this place." Rev Bem explained to Ares. He spread out his arms as he spoke. "The Divine works in mysterious ways. He works through you although you may not know it. Trust in the Divine."

Ares turned his gaze to Tyr. "I am the God of all warriors. You worship me whether you know it or not. I *am* War. And I didn't come here to save you or your little friend. I came to save your Captain. And I know him far better than any of you do. I know he would be upset if I didn't save you people, so I did. There is far more at stake here than you think. I'm not going to let Dylan ruin it."

They followed Ares down the ruined corridor in the direction Rev Bem had came from. He stepped over the bodies of dozens of dead Maggog. The sight of so much death didn't bother Ares. He was used to it from thousands of battlefields for thousands of years. But Harper was a different matter. He had a slightly greenish tint to his face. Finally they reached Rommie where she was still pinned to the wall. Ares yanked the weapon out of her stomach, freeing the android.

They heard Andromeda, the ship's computer, calling for help. People were injured on the bridge and needed help. So they entered a turbo lift and headed for the bridge.

"You said more was at stake here." Tyr said as he watched Ares. "More than this ship. What exactly did you mean?"

"Oh, how about the life of every intelligent creature in this galaxy?" Ares answered.


	4. Time to Heal

An Old Friend 4

"Do you expect me to believe that?" Tyr asked, his arms crossed over his chest. "And why would that be? I think it's very suspicious how you just appeared out of nowhere to save us. What do you want?"

"What is it with you people? Why does everyone always think I want stuff?" Ares asked as he stared up at the ceiling. He focused his dark eyes on Tyr and waved a finger at him. "Look, if anyone owes me a favor it's your captain."

"So you do want something. I knew it." Tyr smiled. "You can't trick me. We Nietszcheans understand how people think. Now if you could do something about these wounds..."

"Not my department. Besides, I need to conserve my powers for what might lie ahead." Ares replied as they reached the bridge. The doors opened and he stepped out into the large room.

"What? You are not all powerful? I thought you were a God! Surely you can heal a few wounds." Tyr said as he followed Ares towards the front of the bridge.

Harper dashed past them to where Trance was lying on the floor in front of the room's only chair. He knelt down and cradled her in his arms. Tears dripped down his face as he gazed down at her beautiful purple face. "Oh, please be alive!"

Trance's eyelids fluttered and the tip of her long tail moved. She slowly opened her eyes and stared up at Harper. She sat up and held her head in her hands. "Ow! I don't ever want to drive this ship again! It gives me such a headache!"

"Don't worry. You won't have to." Harper assured her, a smile on his face.

"Oh, just look at you!" Trance cried in horror. "You're all chewed up! We'll have to get those wounds cleaned and bandaged before infection sets in. Is anyone else injured?"

"Actually, we're just lucky we made it up here." Harper told her in a hushed voice. "This ship is still crawling with Maggog. He saved Tyr and me before we were dragged off the ship. He's a God! He blasted those Maggog with fireballs! Well, that's what Tyr told me. Unfortunately I missed all that."

Trance turned to look at Ares. He was standing just a few feet away, staring down at Dylan's unmoving body. She had to admit he did look like a God with that perfect body. But did Gods *have* bodies? He was there so she guessed they did. Trance looked on the other side of her and saw Rev Bem helping Becka to her feet. They had all been knocked unconscious when the torpedoes from the attacking Maggog ships had hit the Andromeda. She knew the ship had been hit several serious blows. She wasn't sure what they were going to do next. Trance climbed to her feet and walked over to where Captain Dylan lay on the floor.

"Well, are you a God or not?" Tyr asked Ares again. "If you are, surely you can heal our wounds." "I heal all of your wounds on one condition." Ares said as he walked around Dylan to stand next to Tyr. "You'll owe me a favor. That is, unless it bothers you owing a favor to the God of War?"

"And what would this favor be?" Tyr asked.

"Whatever I say it is." Ares answered as he stared down at Dylan. He reached out with his boot and poked Dylan a few times. "If you don't like it, heal your own wounds. Hope you like infections, because if I'm correct, your medical center was destroyed in the attack."

"Is that true, Rommie?" Trance asked the android, her eyes open wide.

"I'm afraid so." Rommie replied. "The Andromeda took several serious hits that went right straight through the center of the ship. Many sections are gone, vaporized in the blast. Luckily the bulk heads came down, so we still have air."

"Oh my God! I didn't realize it was that bad!" Trance cried. "What will we do? There's entire *worlds* of Maggog out there, right outside our ship!"

"All right. I will owe you a favor." Tyr agreed. "It seems as if I have little choice."

Ares placed on hand on Tyr and one hand on Harper. A soft white glow appeared under his hands and their wounds vanished. The skin and flesh had grown itself back together as if they were never injured at all. Even the pain had disappeared. It had taken less than a minute.

Tyr stared at Ares, shock written all over his face. "You really *are* a God!"

"Of course." Next Ares healed Becka and Trance. This went even faster since their wounds were much more minor. Rev Bem didn't need any healing as he was not injured. And as for Rommie, well, he couldn't heal her as she was a machine. Harper would have to do that, as he was the one who had built her in the first place. That only left Dylan.

Ares knelt on one knee next to Dylan and gazed down at him. Reaching out, he placed one hand on Dylan's forehead and one on his chest. The white glow appeared again and the wounds started to vanish. It took longer to heal Dylan's wounds as they were more serious than the others. Ares let him have as much power as he wanted. He watched as Dylan's eyelids fluttered open to reveal those familiar blue eyes. Dylan stared up at him in shock.

"You!"


	5. The Truth Revealed

An Old Friend 5

"You! What are you doing on my ship?" Dylan asked as he struggled to sit up. He managed to climb to his feet and glared at Ares.

"For your information, I just rescued your crew and healed them." Ares replied calmly. He had his arms crossed over his chest as he watched Dylan with interest. "They know who I am. Do they know who *you* are? You know, I would think after all of this time you would be happy to see me."

Dylan felt the eyes of his crew on him. He glanced around and saw everyone was present: Becka, Harper, Trance, Rommie, Tyr and Rev Bem. He also noticed that none of them had any wounds. Well, Rommie had a hole in her stomach but then she was an android. Dylan looked down at himself and saw his wounds were gone. He flexed his injured shoulder, or the one that *had* been injured and only felt the smooth movement of muscle. The pain and stiffness that should have been there wasn't. Dylan's blue eyes focused on Ares. "What do you want, Ares? Since when do you heal people?"

Ares leaped forward and grabbed Dylan by the front of his uniform. He easily hoisted him up into the air and slammed him against a wall. "Now you listen to me! This is important! There is far more at stake here than you and your crew, understand? And this isn't some plot or scheme I cooked up. I don't do that anymore, OK? But I can't let you stay on this ship and breed a bunch of soulless Destroyers. If they get hold of your Olympic blood, then you'll have a mess even the mighty Hercules won't be able to fix."

Tyr moved forward to help his captain but Dylan waved him off.

"Olympic blood?" Harper asked in confusion. "What in the world does that mean?"

"I haven't the slightest idea." Trance said as she waited to see what the two men would do next. "But it sure looks like those two know each other."

"Yeah, but how does Dylan know a God?" Harper replied.

"Destroyers?" Dylan's heart froze at the word. Old memories surfaced, memories he hadn't thought about in years, his best buddy with the blonde curly hair who had taken a dagger through the heart to save a princess. He had mourned Iolaus for months only to discover his friend's body was possessed by an evil demon, the same demon that had raped another one of his friends and had forced her to give birth to a dark-hearted evil Goddess. The Goddess Hope, in turn, had given birth to a Destroyer. It was said that a Destroyer had the ability to kill Gods and mortals alike. They were fast, dangerous and deadly. And since they had no souls they were unkillable. Xena had managed with great difficulty to kill the Destroyer while it was young. But then it had been flawed. It had actually cared about it's mother, Hope, so it was not the perfect Destroyer the demon had wished for. Still, it had managed to kill many innocent people due to its hunger and violent nature. The demon had planned to use the Destroyers to kill all of the Gods so it could rule the planet. Of course, thousands and thousands of mortals would have been killed in the coming chaos. Luckily Xena had killed it before that had happened.

"Yes, Destroyers!" Ares snarled. "And all they need is your Godly blood to make them Destroyers! I can't let that happen so you are coming with me!"

"Wait!" Dylan cried. "I just can't leave the Andromeda and pop off to Olympus! What about my mission do restore the Commonwealth? What about my crew?"

Ares set Dylan back on his feet and stepped back. "We'll take your crew with us, but the ship stays here. And no, I can't teleport it. It's too big. Besides, it's all smashed up. There's nothing worth saving."

"Look, Ares, I can't restore the Commonwealth without the Andromeda! This ship IS the Commonwealth. She's the last of her kind. I just can't leave her here." Dylan argued. He frowned as he remembered how stubborn Ares always was. They never saw eye to eye on anything. Well, maybe it had happened once or twice, but that was very rare. "Look, if you could just get the Maggog off the ship we could repair the damage."

Ares rolled his eyes. "You can't repair that kind of damage. You have huge gaping holes through the ship's center. She's open to space. The structure is damaged. If you try to jump to slipstream, she will tear apart. Now give this up, Hercules. You are the Champion of Mortals and you will always be. Your fate is not to die here like this. But then again, it wouldn't kill you, would it?"

"Hercules?" Harper asked. "Who's Hercules? Gee, the way you talk makes it sound like Dylan is a God or something!"

"Half God actually." Ares explained as he turned to face the others. "Or what is called a DemiGod. His real name is Hercules, but call him whatever you prefer. It doesn't matter because we are leaving this ship."

"You're a DemiGod and you never told us?" Becka said in shock. "Dylan! How could you keep something like that from us?"

"I didn't think it was important." Dylan replied automatically. His mind wasn't on the conversation. He was thinking about what Ares had said and realized his half-brother was right. Getting infected by Maggog wouldn't kill him. He was, after all, immortal. It would hurt an awful lot and he would pass out from the pain, but his body would slowly heal itself. When they realized that... Dylan didn't want to think about that. Of course, once they became Destroyers they *would* kill him. Even the bite wounds he had would have healed by themselves in time. Ares just saved him a lot of pain by healing them with his powers. In fact, he had never seen Ares do anything like that before. Could it be his brother really had changed? If so, Dylan wanted to know what had changed the God of War.

"Now everyone gather around me so I can pop us out of here." Ares stated as he motioned for them to come closer. Harper gripped Trance's hand and pulled her over to Ares. He was glad to get off the Maggog infested ship! Tyr stepped towards Ares. The Nietszchean had already battled the Maggog once today and had lost. He was not about to fight them a second time barehanded. Becka also moved towards Ares, as she knew fighting an endless supply of Maggog was hopeless. Rommie and Rev Bem joined the others by Ares. Only Dylan stayed where he was by the wall. "Come, Dylan." Rev Bem said to Dylan as he held out his three-clawed hand. "It is what the Divine wants. He has sent Ares here to save us. If it is as he says, that you are a Champion of Mortals, then you must not die here. The Divine has gifted you with a very special task. I do not understand this talk of Destroyers, but I know you must leave this ship now with us. We can always get another ship."

"There must be another way to save the Andromeda. There always is." Dylan forced his brain to think. Think! He had to think of something! A name floated up from his past and Dylan jumped. "Hephaestus! What about Hephaestus? Couldn't he fix the ship?"

"Possibly. He is the God of the Forge and Making Stuff. But there is one little problem. Hephaestus is dead. He was killed by Xena when she was on her God-killing tirade." Ares reached out with his powers and grabbed Dylan just as the bridge doors busted open. Trance shrieked loudly as she saw dozens of Maggog pour into the room. Dylan was dragged to Ares by the God's magic powers.

"Then take us to the Underworld!" Dylan ordered Ares. "To find Hephaestus!"

"Fine." With a flash of bluish-white light, they were gone. The Maggog leaped but crashed onto the empty floor. The hairy aliens stared at each other in confusion and snarled angrily. Their prey was gone.


	6. Love's Request

An Old Friend 6

Trance screamed when she found herself in open space without a ship or anything around her. She frantically clung to Harper, who in turn was clinging and whimpering on Tyr's shoulder. After a moment, Trance realized she didn't feel the sub zero numbing cold she should have felt in open space. Nor were her blood vessels popping and exploding as she had expected. She released her grip on Harper and stared around herself in amazement. Thousands of stars glowed steadily around her in every direction. She breathed in and felt air fill her lungs, yet that should have been impossible. Trance realized she was moving through white archways that were suspended in space. She glanced down at her feet and guessed she must be standing on some type of moving invisible sidewalk.

"We're all going to die!" Harper cried in terror.

"Relax. This is the way the Gods travel." Dylan explained to his startled crew. He remembered the time Zeus had taken him to Mount Olympus and had made him a full God. They had traveled the same way. "I did this before and it's perfectly safe."

"Oh, it's beautiful!" Trance said as she enjoyed the view around her. A doorway appeared up ahead and they soon passed through it. Trance found herself inside of a large white room that contained many stone pillars. She looked behind herself and saw the doorway was still there, the stars shining. She wanted to admire the raw beauty of space longer, but was also curious about where she was. Her curiosity won out and she followed the others.

"Ares, this is Olympus. I said I wanted to go to the Underworld." Dylan complained as he quickly followed his brother into a different room. He watched as Ares settled himself on Zeus' throne.

"Welcome home, Little Brother. Time for you to face reality." Ares waved his hand and a golden chalice appeared. He took it out of the air and sipped the Ambrosia tinted red wine. The War God settled his piercing gaze on Dylan. "Things are not what they used to be. Hades is dead, so don't think you can make a bargain with him. No one knows what's going on down in the Underworld these days or if anyone is running the place. Well, I suppose Charon is down there rowing that boat on the River Styx, but he can't help you."

"Look, Ares. I've been down there before. If I can just find Hephaestus..." Dylan said.

Ares interrupted him. "And you'll do what? Get trapped in Tarturas? Because that's where fallen Gods go. You remember what happened to Dear Mother when you shoved her down to Tartarus. Besides, Hera was alive when she tumbled down there. Hephaestus is dead. A ghost can't repair your ship."

"Whoa...are we talking about the place like dead people go?" Harper asked, his eyes wide. "Like dead dead people?"

"Yeah." Ares replied. "It's called the Underworld. Bad people go to Tartarus; good people go to the Elysian Fields. People from other religions go other places."

"And you want to go there?" Harper shivered. "I can't believe this!"

A loud squeal filled the room and everyone turned their heads. A beautiful woman stood in the doorway. She had long wavy blonde hair and beautiful eyes. She wore a pink bikini that was covered by a sheer pink dress with short sleeves. A golden necklace sparkled around her neck. High-heeled shoes covered her feet. She squealed again and dashed over to Dylan. She leaped at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Hercules!"

"Hello Aphrodite. It's nice to see you, too." Dylan said a bit red faced. He pulled Aphrodite off himself and smiled nervously. He turned to his crew. "This is my sister, Aphrodite. She's the Goddess of Love."

Rev Bem stared at the half naked woman in shock. "This is a Goddess?"

"Umm, yeah." Dylan said sheepishly. "They're not exactly perfect but they try."

"Hercules, you have to help us!" Aphrodite exclaimed, her beautiful eyes filled with tears. "Things are out of control! Ever since Xena killed most of the Gods, things have slowly gone downhill. Earth is a terrible mess! You should see it. They were OK for a few thousand years, but the longer they were dead the worst things got. Now it's worst than Tartarus down there."

"I got to agree with that. I grew up on Earth." Harper told the Goddess. "It's a burned out polluted nightmare. Forests were a myth. It's not a place fit for anyone to live anymore."

"Aphrodite, I don't have time for this." Dylan tried to tell her. "I have to save my ship."

"But we're your family! You have to help us!" Aphrodite cried. Her lips trembled and her eyes grew puffy as mascara ran down her cheeks. "Ares said you want to bring Hephy back. Well, why can't you bring ALL of them back? Look at how Earth looks! Our Pantheon is broken. Storms run wild and destroy stuff because Zeus isn't here to control the weather. The oceans are polluted and drying up because Poseidon is gone. The forests, wildlife and the wilderness need Artemis. Justice has gone out the back door because Athena is dead. The Earth is a dried up rock! The air is all dirty and people are sick. There isn't enough food or clean water. You are the Champion of Mortals, Hercules! You *have* to help them! You just can't walk away!"

"What am I supposed to do, Aphrodite?" Dylan paced up and back across the floor. He ran both hands through his brown hair. Frustration bubbled up inside him and he felt like punching something, smashing it to bits. This side of his family always got on his nerves. That's one reason he had gone out into deep space, to get away from them. But now he was right back where he had started. "I thought I could make a deal with Uncle Hades, but I can't. I'm not a God!"

"But your so smart!" Aphrodite wrung her hands together. "You *always* came through for me. Always! You solved any problem that was thrown at you. I believe in you, Hercules."

"Trust in the Divine, Dylan. Perhaps you are meant to solve this problem, too, and restore Earth to its former glory. If you will just give yourself to the Divine perhaps a solution will come to you." Rev Bem stood in the center of the large room, his clawed hands folded in front of his red robes. He was humbled at being inside the home of the Gods. Although these Gods were not the Divine, they were still Gods. Perhaps they worked under the Divine, that is, they were of a lower rank. He knew it was a great honor for a mortal, especially a Moggog, to be in this place. He wanted to ask Dylan about this talk of Destroyers but now was not the time. The captain needed his council, as he was clearly troubled. Rev Bem understood Dylan; he had trouble with his family, too.

"The Divine? The Divine is what caused this mess!" Dylan shouted. He punched a nearby pillar with his fist. It cracked and toppled to the floor with a loud bang. The room rattled as it hit the floor and shattered into three pieces. "Them and the stupid Fates!"

"I doubt if that is the case, Dylan. You must be mistaken." Rev Bem said. "The Divine loves us all greatly and wishes us to live in peace."

Becka, Tyr, Harper, Trance and Rommie stared at the broken pillar in shock. They exchanged startled glances with each other.

"Whoah! I never imagined he was that strong! He must be stronger than Tyr! Now that's one guy I don't want mad at me." Harper remarked.

"Yes, and he has a bad temper." Tyr noted. "I wonder what else we don't know about our captain? This is getting to be a very enlightening voyage."

Well, I remember the time the Divine let loose the Four Horsemen on Earth just for a test! They were willing to let every person on the planet die a horrible death just for a test. I can't approve of that." Dylan stopped and stared at Rev Bem. Something stirred in the back of his mind. It floated to the front and Dylan grabbed it. He smiled at the Rev. "Maybe I don't have to trust in the Divine but you do. And maybe that's all that we need."

"I'm afraid I don't understand." Rev Ben told his captain.

"You'll see." Dylan turned to Ares. "Where are the bodies?"

The War God had been patiently sitting in his thrown all this time drinking his wine. He knew Hercules too well. The DemiGod often got roiled up about stuff. When Herc had been a teenager it was so easy to get him angry Ares had done it often just for fun. Of course, it also gave Hercules lots of experience fighting, which he really needed in order to be the Champion of Mortals. "Down in the Catacombs, in the basement of Olympus."

"Good. That's where we're going then." Dylan stated.

"Hello? Am I wrong or have these bodies been down there for like thousands of years? I mean, shouldn't they be skeletons or dust or something?" Harper asked Dylan. "It's nice and all you want to fix Earth, but what can you do with bodies that old?"

"They're sealed inside special glass coffins." Ares explained as he walked over to them. He waved his hand and the room shifted suddenly. Space twisted around them and they were somewhere else. "The coffins perfectly preserve their Godly bodies while their souls are in the Underworld."

Trance collapsed to the cool stone floor, her head spinning from the teleporting. She had enjoyed the moving sidewalk in space, but this had been different. Harper helped her to her feet and she noted that most of the others looked a bit green, too. She looked around and saw she was standing in a huge subterranean room with vaulted ceilings. Flickering torches provided light and threw shadows onto the dark stone walls. Round stone pillars were equally spaced throughout the room. The objects that caught Trance's attention were the coffins. There were so many of them. She had never thought a God could die. They were eternal. But yet here she was in a roomful of dead Gods.

Dylan walked over to one of the glass coffins and brushed the dust off it. He peered inside and saw Discord. His sister appeared to be sleeping, except her head was a bit lopsided. Dylan moved to the next one and dusted it off. This one held Athena. He remembered the one time he had meet her when he had been going to Chiron's Academy. Ares had been on trial and Athena had been the main judge. The third time Dylan got lucky and found Hephaestus. He gazed down at his brother and hoped his idea would work. If it didn't, he didn't know what else he could do. It *had* to work!

He leaned lightly on the glass coffin and examined the sides. He saw how he could open it. Carefully he slid the lid back and breathed in awe. His brother's body was perfectly preserved, even his clothes. He knew that as long as the body was inside the glass box it would OK, so he wasn't worried. He shifted his gaze to Rev. "You know, I think you're right. The Divine can solve our problem."

"Of course, Dylan." Rev Bem moved closer and peered down at Hephaestus. "When your faith in the Divine is strong it can do almost anything."

"Yes, it can." Dylan remembered a story his friends had told him of a different man whose faith was strong in his God, of the miracle the man had done. Dylan himself had never met the man, but he had heard. That story had inspired him today, thousands of years later. He reached out and grasped Rev Bem's three-clawed hand. He placed the Rev's hand on Hephaestus' forehead. "And now you are going to resurrect him


	7. The Resurrection

An Old Friend 7

"What?" Rev Bem protested, his eye wide in shock. "Dylan, you can't be serious! I don't have the power to do that. I'm not a God! How am I supposed to do this miracle?"

"Trust me, Rev. With a little help from the right person you can do miracles. Just be ready. But first I need to talk to another old friend." Dylan started to pace up and back between the glass coffins. He glared up at the ceiling, his nostrils flared. "Michael! Where are you? I know you're up there! Get down here!"

Harper inched over to Aphrodite his eyes open very wide. He ogled her transparent pink dress and his tongue nearly reached his boots. "WOW! I mean, hi. What's a beautiful Goddess like you doing in a place like this?"

"Oh, please!" Aphrodite rolled her eyes, her arms crossed over her ample bosom. "Are you using that old line? That is like so third century! Can't you think of anything more original? You can't, huh? Hmmmm, well, Hephy is my husband and with any luck I'll have him back soon."

"You're married?!" Harper asked in surprise. His face fell but he snapped right back. "But he's dead, right? So you're single really, unless Dylan's plan really works and Rev can wake him up, but that's such a long shot. I mean, that can't really happen, can it?"

Aphrodite smiled at him. "It's happened before, to some of my good friends. I believe Hercules can do this. He's always been there for me."

"So you're saying there's no chance for us as a couple? Please please please don't say no!" Harper pleaded, his hands together in front of his chest. "I never met anyone like you before! It's love at first site!"

"Sweety, you're mortal. In a few decades you'll be dead." Aphrodite explained to him. She walked over to Ares and started to talk quietly with her brother. The two of them always got along very well with each other, better than with the rest of their large family.

"Oh man! She rejected me!" Harper cried as he spun around on one foot, his hand over his eyes.

"What did you expect?" Tyr stated as he leaned against a wall, his arms folded over his chest. "She is a Goddess. She does not belong to your social class or mine. I am more interested in knowing who this Michael person is."

"Ah, who cares about that?" Harper mumbled. He was disappointed. Aphrodite was without a doubt the most beautiful woman he had ever seen! She was perfect! Those eyes, that hair, that curvy body, those legs! And a real Goddess to boot! Wow! Harper rubbed his chin and his eyes brightened. "I know! I bet she's playing hard to get! Yeah, that's it. No woman born can forget me."

"That's true." Becka agreed. "You won't let them forget."

"I agree with that." Rommie said from her place next to Becka. The two were sticking close together. This entire situation seemed strange to say the least. And now Dylan was shouting to some invisible person and they were worried he had cracked up. They watched with increasing concern as he waved his hands in the air, calling for this Michael.

"Come on, you coward! Show yourself!" Dylan shouted as he glared at the ceiling. "I know you can hear me, so don't pretend you can't."

A white ball of light appeared near the ceiling and slowly spiraled down towards the floor. It stopped at chest height and the light expanded. After a moment, a man with short blonde hair appeared. He wore a bronze chest plate and carried a long sword in one hand. One major difference everyone noticed was the huge feathery wings that stuck out of his back. The wing tips almost brushed the floor and the curved top part was high above his shoulders. The feathers themselves were dark blue, almost black. He stood up straight, his head held high. He was Michael the Archangel. "Who are you to summon me, Hercules? Speak."

"Michael, you're just the guy I wanted to see." Hercules moved so he was standing in front of the Archangel. "Look, I need Hephaestus and the other Olympians revived. I know you can do it."

"The Olympians had their time and it is past." Michael stated. "Mankind had outgrown their need for them. You yourself agreed to this many years ago or have you forgotten? If I remember correctly, you considered your Godly relatives nothing but pests that interfered in the lives of mortals. Is this not true?"

"Yes, that's true." Dylan sighed. His blue eyes focused on Michael's, his gaze unwavering. He had to make the Archangel understand! So many lives hung in the balance. "But I never really understood my Godly relatives. I never took the time to really get to know them, to understand their jobs. I admit sometimes I was selfish and close-minded in those days. Everything revolved around me or so I thought. Having never really spent any time on Olympus, how could I know the importance of their jobs, the efect their deaths would have on the planet? They really were ruling the universe, well, the Earth anyway and we need them back."

"Mankind had outgrown them centuries ago." Michael repeated. "The time for everything comes to an end and it was their time. The Fates themselves said so."

"And who told the Fates? You? Your God? Could it be you were getting rid of the competition so you could have all the worshippers?" Dylan asked, his voice rose in anger. "You once sent me back to Earth to do what I do best: help people. That's what I'm trying to do now, help the mortals not only on Earth but also across the galaxy. All of my Godly relatives keep saying I'm the Champion of Mortals. I think it was Zeus who first gave me the title. Well, I need Hephaestus to fix my ship. Without my ship, I can't restore the Commonwealth. The Andromeda IS the Commonwealth. She's more than a ship; she's a symbol of hope. The people, all the people across the galaxy, need to see her, to know that we are out there restoring justice to a galaxy gone insane. And I can't do that without Hephaestus. My brother is no threat to you. Hephaestus is a good man. He always was. He's content to spend days working in his forge but he's more than that to mortals. He's the inventor, he gives mankind ideas for new creations, new machines. In this dark age we need his light."

"Very well, Hercules. You have convinced me to restore Hephaestus." Michael told him. "We of the Light approve of the work you have been doing. We have watched you and be assured your place among us is secure. Tell me why the others are needed. Their rule was petty and cruel."

"Yes, sometimes it was. But like I said earlier I didn't know the full scope of their duties. The mortals on Earth need them more than ever. Just look at the Earth!" Dylan outstretched his arms, pleading with Michael to understand. The Archangel seemed so businesslike, so uncaring. That's one thing he never liked about that group, the fact that they were emotionless. At least with his family they were open; you could read their feelings right on their face. But this group hid them. Everything with the Divine was Rules and Regulations. He remembered the time Iolaus had told him how strict they were. "The Earth I thought your group was going to take care of! Why didn't the Light take the duties of the dead Gods? You have their worshippers."

"That is not our responsibility." Michael explained matter-of-factly. "We gave Man free choice. Man may do as he wishes. If he chooses to destroy his world with pollution and wars and what may be, that is his choice. He must live with it."

"Michael, you know that's not fair!" Dylan insisted, his blue eyes full of rage caused by injustice. His hands closed into fists and he attempted to rein in his anger. He was so close to beating some sense into the self-righteous angel. "A handful of people ruin the world for everyone! You know that! It's always been that way. You say Love is the Way, but is that how the Light shows its love for mortals? By forcing them to live like that, on a broken planet? The mortals on Earth need the dead Olympians to resume their duties to fix this mess your Light caused. Or are you truly threatened by a handful of dead Gods?"

"They are mere Godlings. We of the Light fear them not." Michael replied as he strolled through the room, glancing at the dust-covered coffins. His long white robes brushed the floor as did his wingtips. "But there is the little matter of their behavior. We cannot have them subjecting mankind to their will. That time has past."

"Look, they can change! Hera proved that to me." Dylan followed Michael through the room. He wasn't about to give up yet. "Hera always hated me with a vengeance. She hated me for the sole reason that I was born. But her time in Tartarus changed her. In the end, she gave up her life to save Xena and her baby. Just think, the all-powerful Queen of the Gods giving up her life so I could save a mere mortal and her child! The Gods can change if you give them a chance."

Aphrodite stepped forward and her voice echoed through the room. "When I lost my powers and became mortal, all the love went out of the world. No one loved anyone during that time. They couldn't even feel friendship or care for each other. It's the same with the other Gods gone. Our Pantheon is broken and it's the mortals below who's paying the price."

"And Hercules is right. Gods CAN change. I'm living proof of that." Ares told Michael. "I gave up my Godhood centuries ago to save Xena, Gabrielle and Eve. I didn't have to but I did. And I did it because of love. Yeah, the God of War had fallen head over heels in love with a mortal. My heart died with her that first time, when I had sealed Xena and Gabrielle in that ice cave. I had mourned her for years after that, not knowing they were both alive. When I saw them alive, I had determined I would never loose her again. And I didn't."

Ares held out his arm and a woman appeared in a flash of blue-white light. She had blue eyes and short blonde hair. She wore a red-brown top that left her stomach bare. Leather fringe with silver studs dangled from the top's bottom edge against her bare skin. The matching short skirt was also red and brown. Silver gauntlets circled her wrists and a leather cord choker with silver accents circled her neck. Sais was tucked into her brown leather boots. A silver sword earring, an exact match to the one Ares wore in his ear, hung from her earlobe. She leaned against Ares' side and the War God wrapped his arm around her.

"Gabrielle?" Dylan asked in surprise. "You're a Goddess now?"

"She's my wife." Ares stated. "Surprised, Little Brother? I told you I changed."

"Yeah, he did change." Another woman said as she appeared out of the air. She had long black hair and blue eyes that glared angrily at Michael. It was obvious from her expression she knew the Archangel and didn't like him at all. She wore black leather: a leather top covered by a metal breastplate and a metal studded leather skirt. Metal gauntlets were on her wrists and armbands on her upper arms. Black boots completed her outfit. A sword handle poked out over her shoulder and her chakrom hung on her belt. She drew her sword and stepped towards Michael. "And you better listen to Hercules. If he wants those dead Gods back, you better bring them back. I don't care if you took away my God-Killing Powers, I'll still skewer you on my sword so you better listen to him."

"Xena? You're a Goddess, too?" Dylan asked, his mouth hanging open. "When did all of this happen?" "Why Hercules! I couldn't become a Goddess without Xena!" Gabrielle laughed.

"This is amazing!" Dylan cried. He hurried over to hug his old friends he hadn't seen in centuries. "I didn't expect to ever see either of you ever again and here you are part of the family! This is fantastic! Is anyone else I know going to appear?"

"You better do as they say!" A woman's voice spoke. It had the unmistakable sound of authority.

Dylan turned to see who it was. He didn't recognize the voice at all. He saw a young woman in a brown robe with long wavy brown hair. She poked Michael with a finger on his chest plate. Her blue eyes sparkled with such intensity.

"OH, very well." Michael finally agreed with a wave of his hand. "You may have all of your Gods back. You have all convinced me with your words. You truly are doing what you were born to do, Hercules. Don't ever stop."

Michael walked until he stood behind Rev Bem. The Archangel's body faded out until it became semi-transparent. He placed his hand over Rev's. A white glow appeared under their hands on Hephaestus's forehead. Seconds later Hephaestus opened his dark eyes and sat up in confusion. He blinked at the crowd of people around him and the glass box he was sitting inside. He saw Hercules and waved at him happily.

"Hercules, brother! It's good to see you!"


End file.
